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Heather's Dish

Heather's Dish

Linguine with Balsamic Tomatoes, Bacon and Manchego Cheese

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This recipe was going to be so many different things.

 

A pasta salad.

 

A separate sauce.

 

President of the United States.

 

We had big, BIG dreams for this pasta.

And although it clearly hasn’t usurped President Obama (and it’s probably better that way – I don’t talk politics, but I can’t imagine that whole wheat linguine would do much in the way of running a country), this pasta turned into something even better than a pasta salad or a sauce.  My favorite part of it was the teamwork it displayed:

 

The bacon added some meatiness and smokiness and bacon-ness;

 

The onions added some great oniony flavor to balance the balsamic;

 

The balsamic tomatoes added acidity and brightness;

 

The manchego cheese (my first time to use it) was earthy and salty and sharp.

 

I’d say in the Olympics of pasta dishes I’ve made in the past this guy’s definitely a medal contender.

Speaking of the Olympics – am I the ONLY one who’s pumped about the games this year?  I’m totally that person who leaves the TV on the coverage all day every day til the closing ceremonies.  I cheer for the obscure sports, but really love to watch Track & Field, Gymnastics, and Beach Volleyball.  You know, all the sports that I’m not good at…except for the volleyball.

 

I still maintain that this 15-lb weight on my tummy is to strengthen my legs for jumping.  Sure, there’s a baby in there too but he’s doing double duty.  Now if only I could find a beach partner…

Oh wait, this is a food blog…oops!  Moral of today’s post?  Make this pasta, be amazed, and then get excited about the Olympics.  Done and done.

LINGUINE WITH BALSAMIC TOMATOES, BACON, AND MANCHEGO CHEESE

  • 8 oz. whole wheat linguine
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6 slices of bacon
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 oz. Manchego cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400.  On a baking sheet toss the tomatoes with the balsamic, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 for 30 minutes, stirring every 7-10 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then pulse all of the ingredients (you may have to scrape some of the bits off the sheet pan – do it, it’s worth it) in a food processor until it’s the consistency you want.  Meanwhile crisp up the bacon slices in a skillet over medium heat.  Reserve 1 Tbsp of the drippings, turn the heat down to medium-low, and saute the onions until they are caramelized and tender.  Cook the pasta until it’s al dente according to package directions.  Now it’s time to assemble:  in a large bowl toss the pasta with the tomato sauce.  Add the onions, crumbled bacon, and chunks of the Manchego cheese.  Toss it all together and serve hot (or cold) as a main course or a side.

It’s Friday – I have nothing else to say other than make this.  Now.  And I’ll be over for dinner at 6!

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Comments

  1. Elise says

    April 16, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    My boyfriend and I made this together for my family tonight, and it was delicious! Everything worked perfectly. We had Butter-Roasted Carrots as a side dish. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the awesome recipe.

    Reply
    • Heather says

      April 16, 2012 at 7:55 pm

      that’s so great elise! i’m glad you guys liked it!

      Reply
  2. Andrea from RaisingPeanut says

    March 8, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    Heather, I made this tonight for myself and my 4-yr old (technically still 3). We BOTH loved it! What a wonderful dish! I added asparagus to the “toss”…. that was a nice addition. (Trying to get my son to eat his veggies.)

    The only problem was, the tomatoes were ready within 10-15 minutes. I left them in the oven for the rest of the time suggested, but what happened is they sort of dried up, some burned even. The balsamic also adhered to the pan. If I had taken them out at 15 minutes, I think that would have been best. I had to add a 1/2 – 1 cup water to the food processor. Also, what did you do with the left over balsamic vinegar? I had about 2T left. I tossed my asparagus in the dish before grilling them on the stove top. But it seemed like a lot of extra vinegar. Did I do something wrong?

    Thanks again for such a great recipe. I will certainly be making this dish again. And again. And again.

    And thanks for turning me onto Manchego cheese! YUM YUM!

    Reply
    • Heather says

      March 14, 2012 at 12:46 pm

      i’m so glad you liked it! i don’t know if maybe there’s a difference in the ways our ovens cook (i.e. if mine is just slower or something), but as for the extra vinegar i just used it in the sauce!

      Reply
  3. mimi says

    January 25, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    I do the same thing with every Olympics, and I DVR the primetime coverage every night. Can’t wait til July! Oh and this pasta looks fab!

    Reply
  4. Emily says

    January 24, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    Ohh, manchego! I’ll have to try this soon.

    Reply
  5. elly says

    January 21, 2012 at 12:27 pm

    This looks, in a word, awesome. I LOVE manchego cheese and I can’t wait for tomatoes to get back in season so I can make this.

    Reply
  6. beti says

    January 21, 2012 at 12:32 am

    those ingredients really work well together, the pasta is impressive

    Reply
  7. The Food Hunter says

    January 20, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    delicious!

    Reply
  8. Deanna B. says

    January 20, 2012 at 11:29 am

    I’ll have the Olympics on all day, but I really like to watch swimming (because I was a swimmer in high school), volleyball (played until they expected me to dig for the ball), and gymnastics. I don’t know if rhythmic gymnastics is a “sport” this year, but if it is I’ll watch it too. All while eating a bowl of this pasta.

    Reply
  9. Tabitha (From Single to Married) says

    January 20, 2012 at 10:29 am

    mmm… this sounds fantastic!

    Reply
  10. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says

    January 20, 2012 at 9:10 am

    I LOVE manchego. It’s probably one of my favorite top 5 cheeses after spending a semester in Spain and eating it almost every day. I’ve never put it in pasta, usually just savoring it plain with a smear of quince jelly. So good 🙂 But, I’d love to give this a shot to see how it would be in a pasta dish!

    Reply
  11. Urban Wife says

    January 20, 2012 at 9:02 am

    This dish is awesome!! Love the Olympics and can’t wait to see my favorite events: triathlon is my #1 event to watch, then swimming and road cycling. Table tennis is also great for comic relief. 😉

    Reply
  12. Liz @ Tip Top Shape says

    January 20, 2012 at 8:36 am

    This looks amazing!! I love manchego. Ever since I went to Spain I have been obsessed with it!

    Reply
  13. jen b says

    January 20, 2012 at 8:09 am

    Packers fan AND Olympics freak??? And you’ve introduced me to butternut squash mac & cheese w/ chicken sausage??? I’m adopting you! 😉

    Reply
  14. Emilie @ Emilie's Enjoyables says

    January 20, 2012 at 8:00 am

    I’ve never used Manchego but I’ll have to give it a try. This looks delish!

    Reply
  15. Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says

    January 20, 2012 at 7:57 am

    I love Manchego (and any really strong flavored cheese) – what a hearty dish!

    Reply
  16. Heather says

    January 20, 2012 at 7:45 am

    this looks delicious!
    also – clearly, i am a fan of the Presidential humor.
    xo

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Pasta with Balsamic Tomatoes, Bacon, and Manchego Cheese says:
    September 10, 2015 at 9:12 am

    […] Adapted from Heather’s Dish […]

    Reply
  2. Cuddle Day | That Deep Breath says:
    January 22, 2012 at 9:09 am

    […] Dish- Linguine with Balsamic Tomatoes, Bacon and Manchego Cheese Honestly, how great does this look?? This recipe only takes a few ingredients and would be the […]

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Just popping in from the place moms flock to on ra Just popping in from the place moms flock to on rainy days just to get out of the dang house: the aisles of Target. 😂 Not a lot to say, but I’m going to leave you  with 3 affirmations I want you to repeat to yourself today:

❤️ I AM STRONG
❤️ I AM CAPABLE
❤️ I AM ENOUGH

BECAUSE YOU ARE. Have a wonderful day friends!
Working on my #avoquados y’all! This protein smo Working on my #avoquados y’all! This protein smoothie has 40 grams of protein, lots of green goodness and tastes like a pineapple-vanilla dream!

- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- 1 cup frozen kale or spinach
- 1 scoop vanilla protein
- 1 serving collagen peptides (I use 2 scoops of @bulletproof brand; some brands just have one big scoop)
- 1 scoop greens powder (I used @amazinggrass)

Blend and enjoy!
🥗 FAST FOOD! Real real: I hate when people are 🥗 FAST FOOD!

Real real: I hate when people are all, “you can cook food in the same time it takes to grab takeout.” That is not always true, and sometimes it’s just about not wanting to try. Effort is hard, amen?!

Today I’m thankful to have had the energy and want-to to cook something a little healthier and save a little money. That’s not always the case, but today it was and I’ll count it as a win!

In the bowl: 3/4 cup black beans, 1/4 cup corn, 2 big handfuls of spinach, and two eggs. Seasoned it all with salt, pepper, garlic and smoked paprika!

Any wins y’all feel like sharing today? Let’s hear it and celebrate!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Oats! (AKA the thi Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Oats! (AKA the thing I’ve been eating on repeat all week):

- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee (optional)*
- 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 1 serving unflavored collagen peptides
- Sweetener of choice
- 1 tablespoon chocolate chips

Heat the oats, water, milk and coffee in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until thickened to your liking (although keep in kind the flax seeds and cooling will thicken it even further). Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips; I like to use a whisk to make sure the collagen doesn’t clump. Pour in a bowl, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and enjoy!

*I love to add a little coffee to mine to help enhance the chocolate flavor, but you do you!
And sometimes this is what it means to “work fro And sometimes this is what it means to “work from home.” 😂
Mentioned this yesterday in the ol’ stories, but Mentioned this yesterday in the ol’ stories, but thought it was worth sharing here too. When it comes to how I plan out meals, I look for 3 things:

🥗Whole foods. Not like the store (that’s called Whole Paycheck, right?), but meaning foods that haven’t been minimally processed. Fresh veggies, lean protein sources, whole grains, etc. I do have a few processed things on hand (protein bars) just in case I’m in a place where I need something SUPER quick, but that’s it. 

🥗High fiber. There are so many reasons we should be getting in plenty of fiber (Google is your friend here guys), but if I’m being honest I just feel better when I’m getting plenty of it. Leaner, more regular, more satiated. The list goes on! Besides the obvious fresh produce, I also eat plenty of legumes, whole grains (rolled oats, farro, quinoa - even though it’s a seed), flax and chia seeds.

🥗Hit my protein goals. Again, an essential nutrient. I have composition goals, and for my muscles to recover from my hard workouts I have to make sure I’m getting in enough protein. For me this means chicken, fish, and the occasional beef or pork.

Wondering - would y’all be interested in how I do my meal planning and shopping trips?  If so just drop your favorite emoji below!
It’s Friday, which means a myriad of things:

1️⃣Weekend vibes! Think soccer games, yard work, church, family time. Love it!
2️⃣The end of my meal prep. Not gonna lie, I won’t make this stew again...although the couscous was a fun addition!
3️⃣Sleeping in. HALLELUJAH.
4️⃣A chance to set up next week to be a great one!

It’s going to be a fabulous weekend y’all. What are you up to?!
#brinner to the rescue tonight! I could just kick #brinner to the rescue tonight! I could just kick myself for not showing y’all how orange these yolks were. 🍳 Eggs are one of the foods I spend a little more on because the flavor and nutrient density are worth it!
.
Pictured: seared mushrooms, roasted baby broccoli, bacon and 2 eggs. Not pictured: another parfait like last night’s because 😋.
.
What’s your brinner go-to?!
My allergies may be making me want to scratch my e My allergies may be making me want to scratch my eyes out of my head, but at least I’m having dessert! 😆😭 Fun fact: I never had allergies til we moved to Arkansas. Discovering this discomfort as an adult is...special?
.
This little parfait is a mini jar filled with plain Greek yogurt and homemade strawberry chia jam 🍓. No sugar added and tastes like a cheesecake - I’ll take it! Jam recipe is in my “food” highlight - just sub any frozen fruit in the same amounts and voila!
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